TenTen's Death
by White Tree Red Flowers
Summary: Neji Hyaga never died in the war and TenTen died instead. She sacrificed her life to protect Neji. Life after the war is difficult for Neji, who is haunted by nightmares and guilt.


This is a story about if Neji never died and TenTen died instead. I like TenTen but, i wanted to write this story to share my thoughts of how would Neji handle her death and give my opinion abit of her background story. Also, i thought of this story by myself without coping somebody else's story so, if there are similarities with your story, i didn't copy yours then.

I hope that you you enjoy my short story :-)

 **DiSCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO**

 **Chapter 1 – TenTen's death.**

 _In a class room there was sitting a little Neji. That little Neji was me. The teacher was at the board explaining about a ninjustu and a little girl was next to me. She had brown hair with two buns knotted. I asked her, "Why are we children, TenTen?" but, she just smiled to me and passed me origami bird which wrote, "open" on one of its wing. I felt my hearted skipped a beat and I was feeling curious and slightly intimidated by her. I couldn't help to smile back at her while I was piercing the tip of the wings against my fingertip of my left thump._

 _Looking back at the bird in my hands, I unraveled the beautiful made origami. Inside there was another message. It wrote, "Hi" with a smiley face. "This was so stupid but, cute", I thought and smiled one more time to her. I layed the piece of paper on the desk but, once I did, it folded itself into a bird. The wings started to move, first left and then right. Then, it started to flap both its wings and flew off the desk._

 _Without even realizing it I was already outside. The weather was warm and sky was blue without a cloud to be seen. I could hear the children playing and laughing. However, my eyes were fixed on the flying origami in the air. I wish I could be that bird and fly away. It was flying near to playground's tree._

 _Suddenly, very swiftly and in a flash, one of the branches pierced though the origami bird. The sky turned from blue to black, the laughter of children turned to screams of pain and the warm sunny day became cold as a winter's night. I started to breathe heavily and every time I exhaled, my warm breathe would create a little mist in the cold air._

 _The tree started to deform and its bark swirled slowly. A big red eye opened bulging out of the bark. It was staring at me and I couldn't take my eyes of it. Almost in an instant the tree insanely and rapidly grew to into the huge monster however, never dropping its stare at me. It was no other than the 10-tails! For some reason I could see myself from a distance and I was no longer a child but, my 18 year old self. It was like I was a watching a movie from aside but, I was still in my body. The 10-tails was ready to strike with its spikes. I looked behind me and there was lady Hinata protecting over Naruto. If I didn't do anything, lady Hinata would die. I had to protect her. I jumped in front of her but, fell to the ground the moment I jumped. I looked behind me and it was TenTen pierced with gigantic spikes through her chest. The blood was gushing out and dripping from the tips of the spikes. She couldn't mutter a word and she was shivering but, tried to hold her gaze at me. Tears from the pain ran down her face and then she coughed blood. I went to catch her but, she dropped dead on the ground._

 _TenTen? TenTen died right before my eyes._

 _Her blood covered my feet. Why couldn't I have saved my comrade? I felt paralyzed and weak. I looked around and other fellow ninjas from the alliance were pierced with the spike too. The horror… There were millions of bodies lying on the battlefield breathless. The monster disappeared but, the pain remained. I could see the warm blood was rising up to my body but, I was shivering. Why did all of this had to happen? Why is there so much death? Why did TenTen have to die? She wanted to protect me but, I wasn't strong enough to protect her. Why did she have to push me out the way? And what if I am not able to protect anybody else._

 _As the blood continued rising from the knees to the chest until finally up to the neck, visions were appearing in my mind. Everybody I knew and loved were murdered and here I am paralyzed without any capability of saving them. The people dear to me, Lady Hinata, the whole Hyaga clan, Boruto, Himawari, Rock Lee and Guy sensai, all murdered. While I was trying to catch my last breathes, the blood finally covered my face. I felt so helpless and I drowned down to the bottom into the darkness_ ….

"Arggghhhhh!"

"Arggghhhh Arrgghhhh!", I screamed.

A member of the Hyaga clan opened my door rushing in with a candle in her hands.

"Another terror dream, Neji?" she asked sitting next to me on my bed.

Sweating and panting, I nodded. She gave me a hug to comfort me and I thanked her. It has been years already since the war but, it still haunts my dreams.

 **Chapter 2 - TenTen's Grave**

I couldn't go back to sleep afterwards so, I looked out of my window until the sun rises. The soft glimmer of light warmed my face and it was time to go to TenTen's grave.

Just like every day, as I walked through the streets of Konaha, I would get nostalgic memories of you, TenTen. In clothes shop there was a Chinese dress which reminded me of what you used to wear, there was girl playing with her friends with hair buns just like yours, over there is the ninja acedemy where we first met and you gave me the origami bird.

The memory of your death and that you sacrificed yourself pushing me out of the way, still scars my mind and soul. I bit my lip thinking of it. The war has affected us all even though, we put a brave smile during the day... I then saw the new generation outside training at the Ninja academy. They were using the donated weapons of TenTen.

I can even almost remember your letter for me word by word presented after your last will and testament was read…

" _Dear Neji, if you are reading this then that means I have died and you are alive._

 _As you already know, my family died during the Nine-Tails attack in our village so, I grew up in the Konoha Orphanage. Until I was old enough, I left the orphanage to train as Konoha shinobi which is where I met you for the first time, in the Ninja academy. I remember you as boy and how you transformed into the person you are now._

 _In the case that I might have not revealed my feelings before my death, I what you to know that I regret not having shown my feelings enough to you. I regret that I was distant and not as close to you as I would have liked to be. But, what I regret most is that haven't ever told you how much you mean to me. You are my friend, comrade and my brother. You and Rock Lee are the family I never had._

 _Thank you for everything. I remember the times we laughed and cried, fought and made up. Thank you for all these years that we were together._

 _I want you to keep my favourite weapon and scroll._

 _I love you."_

I reached the grave where TenTen lies. I borrowed a bucket and dipper from the flower shop just outside the cemetery and poured water over the gravestone and cleaned it. Then, I lighted incense and changed the old flowers with new ones. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and put my hands together. I made a prayer for TenTen and thanked her.

 _TenTen thank you for everything too. I wish I could have also told you what you meant to me. I love you._


End file.
